Half-Life 2 turning to episodic installments

What's the half life of a Half-Life 2 episode? We'll soon know when Valve …

The Half-Life franchise is moving to an episodic release schedule according to comments from Valve's Doug Lombardi. Lombardi has revealed that Half-Life 2: Aftermath has been renamed to Half-Life 2: Episode One. Half-Life 2 was released in late 2004 to critical acclaim (review), and the sequel to the title—the aforementioned Aftermath— has been expected for quite some time. While Valve released the (very cool) Lost Coast add-on/technology preview last fall, gamer hopes for a holiday release of Aftermath never materialized. To be sure, Valve has a reputation for being slow in delivering the goods, but whether or not this is a good thing largely depends on who you ask. Given the outstanding quality of their games, it's hard for many to find fault.

What does it mean to say that Half-Life 2 is turning episodic? While Valve has given no details, a few things can be easily surmised. First, episodic content means more frequent content, but less of it in each installment. That much is obvious. But how much, and for what? SiN Episodes, another episodic title coming soon, is expected to sell for $20-$25, and feature at least 6 hours of game play. While none of this is official, it is also believed that there will be new episodes every 9-12 months, hence the term "episodic." Half-Life 2 may be heading in the same direction.

For both episodic games, the method of distribution will be Steam, Valve's controversial online distribution service. SiN Episodes will not be available via retail at all, but it is unclear what will happen with the Half-Life 2 offerings, as there were reports that Valve's next title would appear in retail stores on April 24. The transition to episodic content likely means that these plans are off.

For Valve, the move will likely pay off. While a small segment of gamers are suspicious of anything involving Steam, most Half-Life 2 fans are so engrossed in the story arc that episodic content will be warmly received as sweet, sweet relief from the pain of waiting. There are concerns, however. One person with ties to a retail gaming outlet told me that there are worries that game developers could end up approaching their games the way complex stories are treated by television: the story arc may take longer to develop, while actual game play may be dominated by non story-arc features. Such are the challenges that those experimenting with the release strategy will need to face.

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Ken Fisher / Ken is the founder & Editor-in-Chief of Ars Technica. A veteran of the IT industry and a scholar of antiquity, Ken studies the emergence of intellectual property regimes and their effects on culture and innovation.